There is a need for more women environmentalists in India, especially from rural and tribal areas as they bring unique perspectives with indigenous knowledge. They can rally change via community engagement and inclusive decision-making. 


Some of these aspects helped Tulasi Gowda build her sustainable environmental practice for over 14 years. The Halakki tribal born in 1944 in Karnataka did not receive any formal education due to her financial circumstances, due to which she had to work alongside her mother as a labourer. 



In her celebrated work with the Karnataka Forestry Department, she was known to identify mother trees, which have strong underground nodes that connect with saplings and seedlings creating a healthy symbiotic existence. She also helped regenerate and regrow entire plant species, in turn giving new life to the land she worked on. 



Her afforestation efforts have helped five tiger reserves, thirty wildlife sanctuaries and fifteen conservation reserves. Today, there is a dire need for focused reforestation and species regeneration efforts as India has lost over 1.5 million hectares of forest cover, as per a study by the World Wildlife Fund (WWF). This adversely affects wildlife habitats and the livelihoods of indigenous communities



Another unique study mapped farmland trees in India and tracked it for a decade. It showed how 8-11% of large trees have disappeared from 2011 to 2018. 


Forests ensure social, ecological and economic benefits for people. A study showed how tropical forests hold 50% of the planet's biodiversity. But in India is the loss of 668,400 hectares of forest between 2015 and 2020 (H. Ritchie 2021) creates urgency.


Tulasi showcased an effective model of eco-restoration through forestry interventions, and I would like to pay an ode to the Padma Shri awardee who left us with at the age of 86 in Honnalli, Karnataka. 



P.S. Tulasi’s story reminded me of Saalumarada Thimmakka’s efforts of planting over 300 banyan trees in Karnataka, and tending to them. 



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Unclaimed bodies of widows lie in anonymity as their right to the final act is denied. The rising population of abandoned widows in Vrindavan is of concern as many find themselves in limbo in this pilgrimage destination. 

60-year-old Dr Laxmi Gautam is ensuring no widow is left on the streets to fetch for themselves, and their last rites are done with dignity. Not only widows, but orphans, destitutes, homeless, and even holy men take shelter at her NGO ‘Kanak Dhara’ started in 2013. The college professor routinely checks the Yamuna cremation ground to collect any abandoned dead bodies needing cremation. Some of them are even  rotten.

The situation caught the media’s attention, especially after a SC judge visited the place and noticed the problem. A report was filed, a committee was formed, and someone from the hospital was appointed in-charge of the situation. But the slow process and red tape created its own set of hurdles, which encouraged Dr. Laxmi Gautam to continue her work.

She faced opposition in the initial years from her family members but now is proudly accompanied by her children. Her exemplary work with Vrindavan’s abandoned widows won her the Nari Shakti Puraskar from President Pranab Mukherjee. It is surprising how her story is hailed with pride by other Indians but very few consider the burden on her. With the incompetence of governing bodies, citizen initiatives across India have always helped millions of Indians in dire circumstances and situations.

Thousands of widows are abandoned by family and kin when perceived as economic burden or while suffering from ailments. The challenges for widows are complicated with archaic legal frameworks and sometimes harsh social norms. In case of lack of employment some widows face the brunt of economic vulnerabilities. For many, discrimination in inheritance and land ownership are commonplace.

But with the right help they can fight these circumstances. Here are some laws that would help widows or organisations helping them.
 
The Widows (Protection and Maintenance) Bill (2022) is primarily established to protect widows and single women. This works towards abolishing the ill practices of widowhood in India.

The Maintenance and Welfare of Parents and Senior Citizens Act (2007) is applicable to older widows as it mandates providing financial support, medical facilities, food, and shelter to elderly parents and grandparents. It even calls to settle maintenance claims in favour of the senior citizen in a timely manner. In fact the law even mandates establishing old age homes in every district in India.

The Indira Gandhi National Widow Pension Scheme is said to provide monthly pension of Rs. 300 for widows between 40 and 79 years of age, and Rs. 500 for widows 80 years and older, which are abysmal amounts in these times.

Though Dr Gautam and other entitles work towards helping many lives, the abandoned remains of widows are proof of a broken social system that is left to decay just like their bodies.

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The words ‘Swapnapuron’ means ‘dream come true’ in Bengali language, which perfectly defines Satarupa’s experience with the school she started in remote Sundarbans with five centres currently.

The rich Sundarbans is a low-lying cluster of islands, which is home to the Royal Bengal Tiger, Irawadi dolphins, and estuarine crocodiles, all of which are endangered species. But it’s also where poverty, physical isolation and harsh climatic conditions are a norm. Especially in the island of Hingalganj where Satarupa Majumdar’s schools are located.

She first visited the island to help her aunt make donations and was taken aback with the state of children who were either playing in the mud or rolling beedis. Her noble intentions to uplift the kids through education got her shuttling from Kolkata to the tiny village and back, every weekend. Though there were government schools in the vicinity her desire to offer higher education got her renting and building a makeshift school. 

Since then she has worked on convincing the parents to send their kids to school, training the teachers and building Swapnopuron Welfare Society (SWS) over the years.

Majority of Indian parents view English proficiency as a pathway to economic stability as it helps secure higher paying jobs and access to a different strata of society. This mindset has been predominant since the British rule in India.

Ironically English language skills have become a crucial asset for employment in India, as the job market is integrated with many global firms. As per data, 85% of employers rate English as a valuable skill, and more than 50% use English proficiency tests during hiring. An English speaking candidate could negotiate a better salary package compared to their skilled vernacular aspirants. According to the ASER 2023 survey, only 57.3% of rural youth could read basic English sentences, indicating limitations in foundational language skills in many regions. Two main challenges are the availability of proficient English teachers and the infrastructure needed to setup schools.  

But through her perseverance Satarupa is addressing the challenges of basic school infrastructure and a good cadre of teachers in Hingalganj. It isn’t just a school but a portal to possibilities for many children there. I feel her efforts to concentrate on one island helps create a focused initiative that addresses local needs ensuring that every resource is maximized.

P.S. Sunderbans gets its name from the mangrove trees called ‘Sundari’, which are abundant in the area.

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This statistic by the International Development Organisation report is unsettling. Who could imagine that women would spend so much time of their lives fetching for the most basic necessities.

This is not just a rural issue. I found this piece done by BBC on the tribal women of Tringalwadi area situated 180 kms from India’s economic capital Mumbai. One woman featured in rhetorical article supposedly spends four-to-five hours every day travelling back and forth from her nearest reliable water source. The pain does not end here.

- Lot of the water resource have scarce supply
- They end up with dirty water
- The women suffer from back and neck pain due to the weight of the utensils and the water stored in them

A 2023 report by the World Health Organisation (WHO) and Unicef mentions that 1.8 billion people worldwide collect drinking water far away . It also states that in 7 out of 10 households women and girls are responsible for water collection.

Currently women's unpaid work due to fetching water amounts to around 22.7 trillion rupees as per the State Bank of India (SBI)’s Ecowrap report. Imagine the financial independence these women would gain if they spent the same time being gainfully employed. Also a great way to boost the economy.

The Indian government has been working in vain to build and upgrade water infrastructure across India. By January 2024, it said it had provided piped water to almost 74% of rural, which does not seem to be the case.

It’s a pitiful state in major cities as well, where the movement and time of women is dictated by the water supply that is available for a stipulated time in the day. This hinders their ability to pick up jobs that demand working from the office or a full-day shift. In some places the water is released or supplied during mid-day or post 3 pm, in turn restricting their mobility.

It is not just about women saving time to engage in employment; we even need to pay heed to health issues caused by walking long distances in changing climatic conditions all through the year.

Water solutions at the community-level, and especially powered by women, will bring about sizeable change. Few organisations are creating water ATMs and training women to create water stores. While they work on creating equitable access to water, public health is also a concern with similar organisations working on sanitation and hygiene practices.

The access to water, its hygiene and the role of women are inter-linked. This connection places a disproportionate burden on women, and simultaneously makes them powerful agents for change in their communities.

Balancing this interconnection is crucial.

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It is surprising how neither her publishers or the university informed her about the addition of her book in the MA syllabus of Calicut University and the BA curriculum at Kannur University. 



‘Chenkalchoolayile Ente Jeevitham’ (My Life at Chenkalchoola), sheds light on the perpetual struggle faced by socially excluded individuals due to caste and religion. She ingeniously portrays how the environment in Chenkalchoolayile in Thiruvinantapuram dictates their fate as it is stiflingly enmeshed in their journeys. “To keep yourself from falling into depression or deviating into criminality, one has to struggle hard,’’ she said in an interview with New Indian Express.

Her tryst with writing started when she was advised to jot down the good and bad moments of her life by the nuns at her school. “I threw away everything I wrote or burned them because I didn’t know I had to keep them or that I would write a book someday,” she said in her interview in the online publication Her Story. But years later her exasperations of caste and religious discrimination was published by Chintha Books in 2014.



Confronting her past, she shows the students the ills of social structures that perpetuate poverty and discrimination while living in the narrow alleyways of Chenkalchoola. 
While the author found her piece in the sun, the universities have disregarded the basic principle of intellectual property rights. The author has the right to know where and how their work is being used, especially in an academic setting. It is the failure of our systems that prevents marginalised authors from exercising control over their own work. 



After all the attention she continues as a sanitation worker for the government waste management initiative ‘Haritha Karma Sena’ while working on another book.

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When anyone mentions nutrition it conjures images of superfoods, diet plans and food trends. But some rural communities are going beyond convention, and doing what they were always meant to do - help increase production of nutritious food and build diet diversity. They are literally taking matters into their own hands by cultivating kitchen gardens, which act as a steady supply of diverse and nutritious food for their families.

A study by NGO Vitamin Angels India, supported by UNICEF, showcases how communities with strong local leadership and grassroots initiatives create greater diet diversity. The study surveyed communities of fisherfolk, salt pan workers and brick-kiln workers among others.

These initiatives have liberated rural women in many ways. They have:
- Reduced dependence on markets
- Encouraged self sustenance
- Retained traditional farming practices while enhancing them with modern techniques
- Promoted growth of indigenous crops like millets, pulses etc.

The study noticed these initiatives were successfully implemented in regions where women played a central role in deploying the same. While the communities and their women have been doing the hard work the study urges governments to work with them closely to:

- Implement programmes offering additional and nutritional food for pregnant women, in turn, improving maternal and child health
- Work around local, familial and cultural dynamics. In short, provide modern nutritional insights that are culturally acceptable
- Offer advanced training and tailored advice
- Subsidise resources for economically disadvantaged households and children
- Offer health education programs
- Improve access to fresh and nutritious food, particularly in remote or economically disadvantaged areas

Women led grassroots communities are capable of countering food insecurity, cope with economic challenges and counter environmental issues with novel cultivating methods.

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While coffee culture is riding the third wave, Alina Alam is setting up a new offering, which needs more attention. With over 40 Mitti Cafes across India she has a whole new model of social impact that is employing various specially-abled people and redefining the service industry.

Today the Supreme Court and Rashtrapati Bhavan have their own Mitti Cafe, which is a statement in its own. Beyond the cafe, she does a lot of skill and capability building exercises that could help the specially-abled to find purpose and remain gainfully employed.

One study by the National Family Health Survey shows 63.28 million (as per 2019-21) disabled individuals, with locomotor disability being the most common in India. These individuals face many barriers to employment. For starters, there is a need of accurate and dependable data, which is essential to make any moves. Also disability is at an intersection of caste, class and gender vulnerabilities that add to lack of opportunities, especially in rural India. This does not include the employment of individuals with psychiatric disabilities.

On the other hand, tokenism is overdone by corporate India, which is just lip-service, as employees are mere profit-units in their capitalist agenda. We need to go beyond media campaigns and conduct exclusive recruitment drives or quota systems. The bigger challenge is the lack of accessible infrastructure to cater to their needs for e.g. the lack of accesible washrooms or even wheelchair ramps in commercial complexes.

The government authorities, policy makers and even urban planners need to step up. While dealing with specially-abled individuals we need well-planned and nuanced actions, and India is far behind. By providing financial incentives, tax benefits, or subsidies to employers the government can increase and encourage hiring disabled individuals. Also recognizing and rewarding companies with disabled employees can foster a more inclusive corporate culture. Through microfinance or grants we can encourage entrepreneurship among disabled individuals.

There are possibilities but very few takers or providers. Till then lets hope Alina stays busy building more opportunities.

#powertoher #speciallyabled #disabilityawareness #inclusion #mitticafe

UK-based storyteller Debasmita Dasgupta’s thought-provoking writing style and assertive strokes fill up the panels of her latest graphic novel ‘Terminal 3’.  

I had the pleasure of interviewing her, which turned out to be a profound learning experience for me as an artist; full of valuable insights and inspiration.

The new book narrates the gritty story of Kashmiri teen Khwab who is preparing for an international jujitsu tournament, in the turmoil filled valley, where many dreams have perished. Her relationships, desires and spirit are put to test in this gripping book. Let us hear from her.

Your latest graphic novel ‘Terminal-3’ is a journey of doubt, despair, and hope in Kashmir, narrated through the novel’s protagonist Khwab. How did you bring her to life?

It brings back a lot of memories because the seed of the story was sown around 2012 or 2013. Around that time, I had a Facebook page called ‘My Father Illustrations’, and its purpose was to share stories of fathers defending the rights of their daughters. I shared more than 350 stories from about 56 countries. While doing that I came across one story from Kashmir about this eight-year-old girl named Tajamul Islam who is a kickboxer. The girl's father was supporting her to become a national level kickboxer. If I'm not wrong, she has even represented India at international tournaments as well. That kind of gave me a different insight about Kashmir. After illustrating that story I started doing a bit more research where I found out so many incredible stories of sportswomen from Kashmir who were football players, cricketers, volleyball players, and martial artists that absolutely fascinated me. I said, we are not talking so much about these people who persevered without proper infrastructure or an academy to train. It's sheer passion, enthusiasm and love for sports that is compelling them to do all these things. So that's how the story of Khwab actually started.

You have addressed the state-of-affairs in the region with great attention and care. How did you do your research? Did you visit the state for the same?
So I have been to Kashmir only when I was a kid, as my father loved it.

I started writing the story and illustrating it by 2019-20. At that time, I couldn't visit Kashmir because there were restrictions already in place. Just before writing I did a lot of research, especially interviews with Kashmiri people, my Kashmiri colleagues, friends, and journalists who were reporting from there on a regular basis. So I also got the chance to interview organizations like UNICEF and an organization called ‘Leher’ that did a lot of work with children and child rights in the region. Because it's a graphic novel, it had a lot of visual details and needed to find out the ground realities. I was constantly asking them about those visual details. Like, what was the road? When you're walking by, what do you see around you? In fact, in one panel you will see three kids playing with a dog where they're throwing stones at the dog and abusing it. That scene was described to me by one of my colleagues from Kashmir. So those visual details were very important to me.

Some of my friends’ and colleague’s families were living there in 2019-20, so they could tell me exactly what was happening in the valley. They also shared stories of  while they were growing up, and their teenage years in Srinagar. So for example, the disintegration of that mob at the end of the first chapter was described by a friend. The bus next to her bus just disintegrated in front of her, which was very common while she was growing up. They were not shocked because that was kind of normal for them. This was an eye-opening statement as even though we read and hear about these stories, there are certain undercurrent elements, which none of us belonging to conflict zones will be able to relate to.

The other realization that kept coming back to me is that teenagers want to live a normal life with normal aspirations and desires. Whether it's a love affair or having a career option. I wanted to also talk about the other side of the story. So they're not exactly inspired by one character, but they're inspired by many true events. So of course there's a lot of fictional element in it as well, but the situations are inspired by true incidents.

The story takes you on a rollercoaster of emotions relating to friendship, love, family and passion. There are some interesting narrative tropes like the use of letters to portray the love story of Noor and Yusuf. Even the use of analogies and your poetic skills shine in this book. Do you have a process to build and shape your stories?
See, every story is a different process being a graphic novelist.

When I think of a story, I first think of the visuals and the characters. I need to actually draw the character so that they start talking to me; they start telling me what to do with them. In terms of Terminal 3 it happened very organically as for so many years things were getting accumulated. I was absorbing all these ideas and they were slowly taking a shape inside me, which I was not even aware of. I think a lot of us as writers struggle to conform to structure or storytelling styles. I think sometimes when it comes out very naturally is when it's so true.

On the other hand, I do not deny there is also science in writing and crafting stories. I had a proper three act structure for developing characters. In fact, I wrote about each character including Khadija(who is Khwab’s friend’s mother), her attributes and the visual details like Khadija's face and her crooked nose. I write down all these vivid visualisations - how do I see them, their narrative arcs, the quest of each character, and more. So that was a science side of the craft, which is very important.

But the layer of metaphors and the aesthetic part came very naturally because I was soaking all those things from their environment and it took shape and form as the novel.

Your illustration style is unique. How long did you take to find your signature style?
It’s a very common question for me as I teach. My answer is that you have to see and experience many different artists. When you just get inspired by one artist and you start copying that style, then it becomes a copy. It doesn't have your style anymore, but what happens when you start observing or studying 10 different artists, then your style becomes a combination of these 10 artists. Then it's not a copy and that's how you're actually developing your style and space. When I started there was no Instagram and it was a good thing because there weren’t an overwhelming number of illustrators around you. But at the same time, it was also difficult because one doesn't know how to start or how to develop their style.

So I was a huge fan of the legendary Bengali painter Jamini Roy. His characters would have these big eyes. As a Bengali, I have always related to the Durga statues in Kolkata which are close to my heart.

So again, very naturally when I started drawing, it just happened that I will always draw big eyes, which slowly became a style and people started noticing it. So the more you practice and don't follow one school of thought, like I have also seen people from one institution

or one college, you know, So I have this habit of using mixed media. If you see my illustrations, they are done digitally but they have a texture on top of it, which is handmade. So I paint with acrylics to create those textures, which are then digitally integrated.

And for ‘Terminal 3’, I've used a lot of fabric material. If you notice, the Pashmina shawl that you see or the kurtas that she's wearing or the dupattas, the scarf, those are actually original Pashminas. So I photographed them and I've integrated them in the images. So, you know, this is what I'm trying to say that when you look at different forms you get ideas, and that's how your style becomes your style. You start owning certain decisions.

I have noticed that a lot of your protagonists are young girls. Is there a reason for that?
I mean, I'm happy that you asked this question because my upcoming graphic novel with Harper Collins is about a 10-year-old boy. It is called ‘Zardozi’, and is releasing somewhere in August or September. I was commissioned by this initiative called ‘Boyish’ run by Rajat Mittal. His whole idea was the definition of masculinity, how we define masculinity and what are those lines?

There's a lot of talk about feminism and femininity, but there is not that much talk about masculinity. Again, interestingly, this was also a topic that was playing in my mind.

So there is no such obvious reason that I only write girl stories and not boy stories. When I started my journey there weren’t many children's book featuring girl stories. So of course, I wanted to address that gap.

Interviewed by Ashwin Dutt Ponamgi

You can buy her latest book 'ZardoZi - Stitched with Love'
https://harpercollins.co.in/product/zardozi/

A friend of mine directed me to Heta Pandit's book titled 'Grinding Stories Retold: Songs from Goa', a nuanced documentation of the songs from rural Goa sung in unison by women while grinding grains.

The songs in Marathi and Konkani are colloquially known as 'Oviyos' that can still be heard in some tiny Christian settlements (gavdas) in South Goa. They narrate tales that impact and affect their humble yet intricate lives. Pandit also mentions how the Portuguese had banned singing in the native Konkani in the 17th century but that did not deter the singers.

Prior to Heta's book Hema Rairkar and social activist Guy Poitevin together recorded 100,000 folk songs by women from the villages of Maharashtra who sing similar grinding songs that make up the 'Grindmill Songs Project. They recorded, transcribed and translated these songs over 20 years.

Oviyos once entertained, educated, informed and touched many lives. Every circle of the grinding stone and every lyric got them closer - a medium for women to express themselves through the oldest mode of entertainment. These traditions shape our collective identity and enhance communal ties, which seems to be dwindling with lesser need for humans to be physically connected.

Blind Bake has a menu in Braille and is setup for the trainees to cook, serve and host their guests. This unique initiative by the NAB India Centre for Blind Women and Disability Studies had a soft launch this month but plans to open to the public soon. 

Under the guidance of their teacher, Sheena Sahni, who is a professional baker, the Centre aims to train and enable capable girls to find jobs or start their own cafes. NAB is known for their offbeat initiatives where they have trained some women in therapeutic healing methods while others to be tactile breast examiners in the war against breast cancer.

I am sure the café will attract the right patrons. A big shout out to Delhiites to show some love and visit the Café once it opens.

Nikhat Zareen is the fifth Indian woman to win the World Boxing Championships, and she is aiming for qualifying for the Paris Olympics in 2024 after her win. The Indian team members Manisha Moun (57kg) and debutant Parveen Hooda (63kg) are returning with bronze medals.

Indian women have won 39 medals in total, with 10 golds, 8 silvers and 21 bronze medals till date. 

Other than Mary Kom, India’s Lekha KC, Jenny RL and Laishram Sarita Devi are women’s world champions in their respective categories. 

Till date none of the men boxers have won a gold at the world championship. That says a lot.

@smishdesigns, here is my ode to Nikhat, as you had asked for.

While the news about the 2022 Oscars was dominated with a trivial celebrity feud, we would like to get your attention back to documentary filmmaker Rintu Thomas and Khabar Lahariya chief reporter Meera Devi.

The gritty narrative of the docu feature film “Writing With Fire” chronicles the rise of rural media collective Khabar Lahariya that is run by Dalit women. 

The Oscar nominated film was co-directed by Sushmit Ghosh and follows the digital transformation of the Hindi language newspaper started in 2002 in the northern Indian state of Uttar Pradesh. The film cleverly follows the lives and work of these Dalit women reporters who are considered untouchables and fight an archaic caste-battle which still exists in modern India. But nothing deters their spirit of reporting. 

Though the documentary ‘Summer Of Soul’ won the category, Rintu and team are pleased with getting nominated and said, "As the first Indian feature documentary to be nominated, we are quite sure this has opened many doors for the Indian filmmaking community."

Today the world is filled with vain and meaningless photographs. Everyone is busy capturing images (not photographs) which magnify their social worth. We have forgotten that this art form is all about immortalising a moment. 

But Dayanita Singh is from a different breed of photographers who are busy documenting the human experience. An oeuvre that captures her curiosity and intuitiveness towards life.

This time the Hasselblad Foundation did take notice and recognised her work by choosing her as a winner of the world’s prestigious international photography awards. 

The prodigious photographer from New Delhi has exhibited internationally in over 60 solo shows and countless select group exhibitions. Some of her prominent works include Sent a Letter (2008), Go Away Closer (2007)
and Dream Villa (2010)

With over 20 books published and six international awards she is set to release her latest publication ‘Let’s See’ in June 2022.

She will receive the honour in an award ceremony on October 14, 2022, in Gothenburg, Sweden

Women in STEM are making a big statement with their choices and scientific pursuits. And, Nandita Jayaraj and Aashima Freidog are documenting their stories on TheLifeofScience.com. 

The content platform is segregated into narratives of women in science, technology, education, arts and mathematics. Other than featuring scientific breakthroughs, research and grant work, the platform also addresses gender gap, casteism, and features transgender and non-binary persons in science. The well-articulated stories are collated and written by their team comprising of women and transgender people.

I discovered Nandita and Aashima’s platform through a book they published recently which is titled ‘31 Fantastic Adventures in Science: Women Scientists of India’. It is filled with inspirational stories of a palaeontologist, molecular biologist, horticulturist, archaeologist and other women in STEM. 

There have been few programs, institutes, community efforts and government initiatives to encourage more women to join. But that has not been enough. In fact a paper published by UNICEF in 2020 reimagines girls education through STEM and impressed upon the following points for success:

- Initiating communication and advocacy opportunities to change parental and community perceptions about girls in STEM education and employment

- Need for sponsoring incentivized apprenticeship schemes and offer stipendiary internships to girls and young women to enhance their transition into labour market. 

- Creation of networks for women STEM professionals and large scale communication campaigns that help transform perceptions

- More sponsors for academic research for an evidence-based understanding of barriers to girls participation and achievement in STEM for advocacy. 

Nandita, Aashima and their team are managing to shed light on the lives of prodigious yet unknown women, which is great for the community and inspires future aspirants. But these women’s lives and efforts will only find the limelight if we do our part in sharing and promoting them.

What do you do with hate speech across social platforms? Well, Aindriya Barua did something cool by building an anti-hate Reddit bot which is programmed to detect hate speech and ban the miscreant if needed. The 24-year-old software engineer has a simple yet impactful solution for a pressing problem which tech giants have been trying to tackle for years. 

What makes it special is that it detects harmful and derogatory speech in ‘Hinglish’ language (a portmanteau of English and Hindi languages) which is a first-of-its-kind. “As an opinionated queer artist, I often use social media to express my views through art, and hence often end up being at the receiving end of violent trolling and cyberbullying myself. It got me angry and sent me rummaging for a solution using my software and data science knowledge”, says Aindriya in an interview to Analytic India Magazine.

The admin/ moderator of any subreddit can download the code and run it to monitor comments and posts in real-time. Once detected, the bot warns a user if they use hate speech. After three warnings the user is permanently banned from posting on the subreddit. This solution is even applicable on Discord or Telegram. 

Today hate speech is spreading wildly, especially with the propaganda machines of political parties, religious groups and many such entities using social media platforms to push their malicious agendas. 

There are some legal provisions and legislations which consider some forms as hate speech. Even the IPC has specific sections but there is no legal definition for hate speech in India. 

Our only hope is more solutions from people like Aindriya until tech giants fix their AI algorithms, trolls find something better to do and our political and religious parties stop spewing venom. 

Keep fighting, Aindriya.